VDOT News - Culpeper

 CULPEPER — Expect alternating lane closures in the eastbound and westbound lanes with flaggers on U.S. 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) throughout the day. Work crews will be removing all barriers in place for the project, and the goal is to reopen all lanes on U.S. 250 by tomorrow evening. 

On April 11, The Virginia Department of Transportation started a preventive project to shore up a section of Afton Mountain just beneath the scenic view overlook near mile marker 100 on Interstate 64 Eastbound and above U.S. 250 westbound (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) in Nelson County. 

Crews expected the work to take a month, but can now report the project is finished nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. 

Once the barriers and equipment are removed, all three lanes of U.S. 250 will open to traffic, and both the scenic overlooks on U.S. 250 and Interstate 64 at mile marker 100 will open to the public. 

Engineers first identified the area as a possible problem spot during the spring of 2021. VDOT constantly monitors rock outcroppings near roadways by watching for rock movement and comparing photographs, taken over time, to detect changes. 

The process to stabilize the mountainside involved drilling deep into the rock with bolts to secure a special mesh which will keep the outcropping in place. 

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